Kingdom Hearts: Duodecim
by Alter Shead
Summary: Summoned by the Goddess of Harmony into the 12th Cycle of Conflict, Sora sets out on a journey with the other Warriors of Cosmos to line up everyone's far off memories and scattered dreams, get his crystal and find his lost friend, Riku.


(I am well aware of the fact there is a crossover board for this, but if you don't mind, I wish to garner enough attention until I eventually move it to its rightful place. I don't believe I am completely forced to do so, but if anything, it won't be permanent, I assure you all)

Disclaimer: I do not own neither Final Fantasy nor Kingdom Hearts. They are the rightful property of Square Enix, the latter a partnered ownership with Disney.

* * *

><p>The blue eyed boy awoke from his slumber, his dark clothes ruffled and wet. In the midst of the calm waters of the sacred Sanctuary of Harmony, his sleepy eyes drifted from one side to the other, taking in his surroundings. He softly stretched himself, yawning a bit too loud than necessary, before once more looking around. Everywhere he looked, the youth found naught but light, cloudy skies above his head and deep into the seemingly ever-lasting horizon. He was worried, no doubt about it. All alone, in some place he had never been before, he couldn't help but wonder.<p>

"W-Where am I? This... This isn't home." The boy looked around in wonder, the events from before still scattered across his mind, and yet unwinding in rapid flashbacks. The final battle against Xemnas, warping to a different place literally in the middle of nowhere, and then ending up at the beach of the Dark Margin, crossing the Door to Light with Riku...

Riku...

And then realization dawned upon him, much like the unforgiving violence of the thunder crashing through the silence of a peaceful night.

"RIKU! WHERE ARE YOU, RIKU?" He shouted, to nowhere in particular, but yet towards any direction he glanced upon. "RIKU!"

"Can't you go scream somewhere else?" Came a cold, unknown voice from behind.

Though it didn't sound like his friend Riku at all, the brown spiky-haired youth still turned around in hopes of finding him with this new stranger. However, he pouted at the sight of two people arriving. One of them, who the boy assumed had spoken to him, was a pink-haired woman, dressed in what apparently looked like traveler's clothes, and a weapon holster strapped to her waist, hanging behind her legs. She maintained a deep frown as she remained silent, her stare piercing the youth as easily as a hot needle can pierce through skin. Feeling uncomfortable, and slightly embarrassed for his sudden outburst, the blue-eyed boy looked down before proceeding.

"Sorry about that, but I'm looking for a friend of mine... I don't know where he is. I woke up here all by myself, and I don't even know how I got here in the first place..." The boy explained, scratching the back of his head.

"That's still no excuse to go around shouting like a moron. You, yourself, just admitted you have no idea where you are. Had you been in hostile territory rather than here, the enemy'd have your head by now." Her voice, icy as it served its purpose in scolding the boy, who gulped at the sight of the fierce woman lecturing him without holding back at all, despite the fact she just met him.

"I'm really sorry, Miss... huh..." The woman, however, just passed by him, choosing to ignore his last words and moving on somewhere else.

The kid merely chose to look down in shame, not remembering there had been someone else there this whole time.

"Ah, don't get all gloomy faced over something like that, big shoes." Came the voice of that other someone that had been there with the other woman. "It's not that hard to see she's the really headstrong type, but that's probably her way of worrying about you." The man told him, settling down a rather large sword on the floor, ripples forming around the blade as soon as it met the liquid surface beneath.

"Why would she _worry_ about me? It's not that I'm not grateful or anything like that, but she just met me." The spiky-haired youth questioned, now taking in the aspect of the man before him.

The man stood taller than him, tanned and shirtless, with a peculiar tattoo going from his chest all the way down to his belly. He had scruffy beard and long, messy dark hair, his forehead covered by a dark-red headband. He wore long shorts with a gray and black color pattern, and his lower arms bared blue and black coverings. He grinned, before pointing towards what could be assumed to be someone's seat, though its mere presence there gave it a whole higher meaning, as if it served as the throne of a larger deity due to the energy it radiated, and coursed through the warriors' veins.

"When me, that _really_ nice lady that just welcomed you and some of the others woke up, we were-"

"Wait, there are others? Why were we brought here in the first place, then?" Came the sudden outburst from the kid, interrupting Jecht, who at first glance may not have seem like it, he was now fuming.

"HEY, don't _ever _interrupt the Great Jecht, got that? Damn you kids, these days, never respecting your elders." Alhough this man wasn't aware of the youth's fearless attitude towards whatever could be considered a challenge, may it be physical, or even if simply verbal.

"Hey, my name's Sora, not kid, okay _gramps_?" the boy, his name revealed to be Sora, replied, earning a momentary glare from this man, apparently called Jecht, but to be replaced a second later with a hearty laugh. Unbeknownst to Sora, however, the word "gramps" brought out the pair of words "old man", which had a certain ring to the tanned warrior in front of him, and a flashback of another youth that could slightly resemble Sora flashed momentarily through his mind.

"Hehehe, I guess it is, huh? Okay, then. But look, just let me finish explaining, then we can go see what's up out there, got it?" At those words, Sora couldn't help but nod, a sign Jecht took as the moment to proceed. "When me and the others woke up, we were confronted by this woman who stood there at that throne. What she told us wasn't much, but we can only guess it was some sort of introduction with an explanation on how everything here works."

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><p><em>The group of 15 warriors assembled around the throne of the Goddess of Harmony, some showing expressions of nervousness, others curiosity and some would just give off a feeling of indifference. A warrior clad in blue armor, with khaki and white linings stood on one knee, bowed to the woman, who stood up and addressed them all with a surprisingly serene expression, which this time, managed to gain even the slightest kinds of surprised looks from the most indifferent and stoic warriors.<em>

_"Dear warriors, my name is Cosmos. I am the Goddess of Harmony, supporting this world where you stand at this very moment._

_I beg of you all to forgive me, but the reason why I've called you here is one that most likely will upset the majority of you._

_You have been summoned here to battle in the name of all that is light. Your destination in the midst of this calamity is Chaos, God of Discord. He, too, has summoned warriors from as many lands as all of you, all who bear a striking respite for each of you. Each of you may recognize your respective nemesis among Chaos' army, although in due time._

_As it's most unfortunate, all of you who were summoned here will have no recollection of your lives back on your home worlds. Obtaining them, however, is nowhere near impossible nor improbable. Soon enough, you'll learn the ways of getting them back. _

_Your sole focuses in this war are the forces of Chaos, who will be coming at you with all their might._

_You must defeat the God of Discord. Stop Chaos, and end this conflict."_

_It had been a longer introduction, though the Great Jecht had been sure that the only probable warrior here to have listened to it all was probably the guy in the armor who was so intent in being near the Goddess, he was making himself look like a teacher's pet... Then again, such devotion to a harmonious deity such as Cosmos wasn't something that condemnable._

_Not all of them had noticed, as Jecht had concluded, but him, along with a few of the others, most notably the fellow with the scar, the pink haired woman, the guy in the Dragoon armor and the other overcheerful fellow with the long black hair, had captured the miniscule hesitation in the Goddess's speech at the very end. _

_Nobody had raised their voice in order to object, but it was as if they didn't need to. Some sported fear in their eyes, others mere curiosity and shock, while others looked upon the woman with barely-contained rage. He couldn't blame any of them. They had been dragged here against their will, with no memories at all, and forced to fight a war they had nothing to do with. It was selfish alright, and no matter how great an apology the Goddess may have tried to fabricate for them all, it still didn't erase a single trace of injustice._

_The warrior clad in blue armor now stood up, though he remained motionless and standing next to Cosmos, just like a toy soldier... toy knight, or whatever. Sighing, Jecht turned away to leave, before initiating conversation with a heterochromatic girl dressed in a small, white robe and a long, blue skirt._

_It didn't last long, as after a few exchanged words, the two miraculously remembered each other. Dropping his sword, Jecht embraced the girl named Yuna, tears escaping her eyes, a heartwarming scene for a few of the other warriors who had witnessed what happened._

* * *

><p>"So you see, all of us were brought here to fight. Well, not that I'm complaining, I don't mind a few brawls here and then, to work out the guns, you know... But it's still <em>sickening<em>..." That last bit came out unintentionally inaudible, though subconsciously, he might've tried to hide that feeling from the youth, though Sora still managed to hear it, and feel the indignation within the tanned warrior. "There's also a high chance your friend might be here, as well."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Sora mumbled, before he stated mostly to himself. "But that's weird. I still remember pretty much everything from before I came here…"

Jecht raised an eyebrow at Sora's remark, before looking both ways and whispering in his ear. "For now, you better keep that to yourself. Losing your memory seems like a pretty huge deal for the rest of us, and most likely for the other chumps on Chaos's team."

"Oh, okay then…"

Noticing Sora had gone quiet all of a sudden, and knowing the whole gloomy look definitely didn't suit the brown haired boy, Jecht turned to Sora and grinned with a playful mock. "I just wonder why you took longer to come. Were you chickening out or something? I hope you don't cry, or anything." He said with a laugh, something which managed to tick Sora off.

"Crying? What are you talking about?" Sora asked, getting defensive.

"I just wish I could see how strong you were... Though I doubt you'll even have the guts to leave this place." Jecht challenged, laughing once more, as Sora was now stewing over those words.

"Oh yeah? Well, you'll see, gramps. I'm gonna get out and learn what's out there!" Sora proclaimed, eyes brewing with competition, before he was approached by a man in Dragoon armor.

"It would be wise not to try and achieve such _accomplishment_ by yourself, now would it?" Sora turned around to face the newcomer, before scratching the back of his head at the latter's comment, smiling.

"Hehe, I guess so. Okay, then what if we all go together? As a team, I bet we'd be unstoppable!" The boy proclaimed, as Jecht nodded in enthusiasm whilst rolling his left shoulder before resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The Dragoon couldn't help but smirk at the boy's positive thinking, before turning towards the pinkette, who stood a few feet from them, arms crossed under her breasts, gazing towards nowhere in particular.

"Lightning, what do you say of this young warrior's suggestion? One to be taken up?" the Dragoon inquired, though it could be noted that it came mostly out of sheer amusement rather than curiosity.

The woman, Lightning, sneered at the armored man, before turning towards Sora, another cold stare that made Sora feel very uneasy.

"Not even close. I don't know what kind of world you came from, but if it's so _easy_ there to tell someone's strong by exchanging a few words with each other, then you can go ahead and get yourself _killed_ on your own." She stated, as simple as that. "Don't count me in..."

"Hey, let's not go throwin' folks onto the fire now! I think what the kid means is, we wouldn't have been summoned here unless we were tough enough, am I right?" Jecht asked, to which Sora nodded.

"Yeah, what gramps said. Besides..." Jecht growled a bit at the word "gramps", now getting annoyingly repetitive.

Sora then, to everyone's curiosity, extended his arm forward, as a light began forming in his hand. The light began glowing brighter, before being replaced in a flash by the materialization of a weapon. The weapon in question was fairly odd, being a rather larger key than normal, suggestively constructed to resemble the form of a blade, the handle baring a hanging keychain, three circles at the end of said chain, one a bit bigger than the other two. Kingdom Key was its name.

"... I've got my proof of strength right here!" Sora stated, showing it off to the others.

Jecht looked at it with sheer amusement, stiffening a laugh, the Dragoon in modest curiosity, yet Lightning kept her cool, before scoffing.

"So, you go around bashing your enemies with your house keys, or something?" Jecht commented, laughing at his own remark, earning a glare from Sora.

"Well, it is a rather interesting weapon, amusing design or not. Would I be guessing correctly that where you're from, not everyone can grasp its power?" the armored warrior questioned, whilst Sora nodded in enthusiasm, immediately erasing the glare he was throwing at Jecht.

"You bet! Except you can't choose to use it, IT chooses you to use it. That's one of the secrets of the Keyblade." Sora explained, before Lightning decided to let herself be heard.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You're saying this overgrown key has a mind of its own, and it chose you to use its power?" Lightning asked in disbelief, to which Sora cautiously nodded. "No offense, but I'm not buying into this fairy tale of yours. It proves nothing of your strength. And even if it did, it might be worthless here."

"Then perhaps we should take that to test?" The Dragoon asked, to which Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"Kain, wasn't it?" Lightning asked, to which the Dragoon nodded. She proceeded. "How do you suggest we test it, then?"

"Both this youngster-"

"Sora." Sora interrupted, avoiding the kid name-calling.

"...Sora, and the other knight have shown promising ideas of unwavering strength. I say, in order for us to judge, not only theirs, but our own abilities, we remain side by side and travel together, fight together, in accordance to Sora's suggestion." Kain stated.

"By "we", you're including me as well, right?" Jecht asked, unsure, to which Kain merely nodded.

"Okay, then off we go?" Sora proposed, to which Lightning prompted.

"I don't remember anyone putting you in charge." Lightning coldly replied, as Sora huffed in exasperation before blurting out.

"Why do you have to be so mean? We're all friends here, there's no need to act tough at times like these." Sora stated, a defiant look on his face, though somewhere in him, and you didn't have to look too far into it, he just regretted raising his voice at her.

"What did you say?" Lightning asked, glaring towards Sora, who, surprisingly, didn't seem as intimidated by her as he had been a few seconds ago, although his legs were still involuntarily trembling a bit.

Before any arguments or fights could break down, the sound of footsteps forced everyone to turn around, as a man in blue armor came to them. Sora could almost feel the unrivaled presence and power that emanated from this man, his focused expression and unreachable gaze only comparable to the heroes of fairy tales, something that this warrior didn't seem very far from. Acknowledging Sora's presence for the first time, the shimmering warrior nodded towards Sora, as the latter only nodded back. The shortest way of welcoming someone, when time ran short. This could only mean trouble.

"On your guard! The enemy comes!" The man said, before they all nodded and followed him out of the Sanctuary.

Sora grinned, his grip on the Keyblade tighter than it had been beforehand.

"Perfect timing."

* * *

><p>"This is not what I had in mind." Sora thought to himself, disappointingly, as he, Kain and Jecht had now been wandering around the Pravoka landscapes, near the Sanctuary.<p>

So far, so good, nothing to worry about. Conversation had also been scarce for a while now, despite the fact they were in the company of the self-proclaimed Great Jecht, a man rather too lively and loud for his own age. Sora had to be honest, though: the man was nothing less than awesome. He also had a deep feeling having a match with him would be more of a mistake than pure fun.

Kain was more of a mystery, though. At first, Sora had no trouble talking to the man. However, the more he spent time alongside him, the more of an enigma the man revealed himself to be, causing even Sora to think before addressing him. He just hoped, however, that this wouldn't last. He hated being uncomfortable around people.

"Nothing so far." Kain commented out of the blue, in what Sora assumed to be an honest attempt at a start of conversation.

"Yeah, were we just unlucky enough to find no one around here? I hope _Miss _Lightning and Mr. Sunshine don't manage to hog all the fun for themselves." Jecht said, sighing as Sora could only nod at that statement.

"I wonder if Riku is searching around with the others, like us." Sora questioned to himself, unbeknownst that Kain and Jecht had managed to hear him.

Kain grinned. "Do not despair, Sora. He might just be closer than you think."

"Hehe, yeah, all ya' gotta do is keep faith, alright? No sad, broody faces." Jecht replied, putting his arm around Sora, who smiled.

"Hahaha, don't worry, you guys, that's not me at all. My heart is always shining." Sora stated, pointing to his heart with his thumb.

"That's the spirit." Jecht then turned to Kain. "Hey, since Lightning and the other guy are patrolling near the Snow Fields, does that mean we're heading towards...?"

"Your thoughts are correct. I had previously assumed to be much wiser to keep guard near the road that connects the southern side of this continent to the northern side." Kain stopped, as did the other two. "We're here."

Jecht and Sora glanced at the monument before them. A dark, red portal in between two stone pillars was erected before them, blocking the path, swirling in chaotic energy that gave off a bad feeling to anyone who would only, merely walk close to it. The energy seeped onto the floor, cracking the ground beneath them. A sight anyone would avoid at all costs.

They had to pass through it.

"So this is the Southern Lufenia Gateway, or whatever that guy called it...?" Jecht asked, taking in the details of the Gateway as much as he could... which with his below-average attention span, it wasn't much.

"I believe it is." Kain replied.

"Hmm... So, do we go in or not?" Sora asked, holding his chin in contemplation.

"I don't think that needs an answer at all!" Jecht shouted, before rushing towards the portal, disappearing into his swirly energy.

"Hahaha, looks like it doesn't! C'mon, Kain!" Sora shouted back, as he also disappeared into the Gateway.

Shaking his head, Kain could only concede with his partners' antics. "Since when was I placed in charge of nursing these two overgrown infants?" Kain then crossed the portal as well.

* * *

><p>"Well, this is kinda' weird." Jecht commented to himself, as he, Sora and Kain studied their surroundings.<p>

A vivid green flow of energy rushed upwards, the laws of physics being totally hurled out the window as multiple chunks of rock remained in midair in an unrivaled display of zero-gravity, despite the fact gravity itself was affecting the three warriors just as fine as it had been on the outside. Unbeknownst to the three of them, who were unfamiliar with what this actually was, they were witnessing the flow of Lifestream in the Planet's Core.

"So, this is the inside of a gateway, huh? It's actually pretty cool." Sora said, looking around, as he tried touching the flowing green energy with his hands, as it seeped away from his fingers as if it was steam. "Wow..."

Kain turned his head to the side, summoning his spear. "Be on your guard. There were sights of enemy movement around these parts, so stay alert."

"Ah, no problem! If they come, we'll give them a reason to never come back." Sora replied, as both he and Jecht summoned their own weapons.

They had been on the lookout for quite some time now, it feeling like hours to Sora. If no enemy were to show up by now, he'd gladly step next to the Chaos crest that was in a piece of rubble up there, and unlock this wretched gateway for good. Sighing, Sora turned and started to walk away, calling off his Keyblade.

"No one's coming, guys." Sora stated as a matter-of-factly. Resting his hands on the back of his head, he began walking away. "We might as well just unlock it and-"

"SORA, LOOK OUT!" Kain shouted, as he instantly jumped in front of Sora, shoving him out of the way in the nick of time, as an immense ball of fire came into contact with the Dragoon.

It exploded on impact and launched the warrior through a rather large piece of floating rubble. His mistreated body came crashing into the wall of energy, before it landed on another chunk of rock, lying lifeless, as Sora and Jecht could only watch, not having been fast enough to catch their unlucky comrade.

"KAIN!" Both Jecht and Sora called out for him, though they didn't get any answer nor movement to indicate the fallen warrior's well-being. Enraged, Sora looked up. "Who did this?"

"Mwahahaha, I come out here to entertain myself in a sheer display of carnage by the jester's puppet, and what do I get but an added boon of three unsuspecting pawns of Cosmos?"

What the two had assumed to be a man entirely covered in a light blue armor, with several adornments, and golden spikes coming out of his shoulders suddenly warped in front of them, before pointing his blade at Kain's unconscious form.

"Move out of the way, filthy worms. I shall return this pawn's body back to the Void." Much to his dismay, however, Jecht immediately blocked his path.

"You'll do NONE'A THAT!"

Gripping his blade, Jecht attempted to punch the man straight through his gut, though the heavily armored warrior created a glowing red shield that blocked the strike, thus triggering the summoning a tornado that enveloped his own body and Jecht. Sora could only watch in shock, bracing himself in order not to get caught by the brutal violence of the winds, as the savage brawler began spinning at unbelievable speeds inside the merciless tornado before being hurled away with extreme force next to Kain's body.

For a split second, Sora could feel the evil aura emanating from this warrior of Chaos, making him nervous and uncharacteristically scared. It was like a feeling he had only felt in the times he had fought off Xehanort's Heartless and his Nobody, Xemnas, though he could almost bet this one pretty much took the cake when it came to fear-striking nemeses.

Turning to Sora, the armored man chuckled. "Restrained by fear's shackles, little insect?"

In a fit of rage, Sora summoned his Keyblade and slashed the metal monstrosity diagonally. In a surprising display of reaction timing, the heavy armored warrior blocked Sora's slash with his own blade, before forcing Sora a few meters back with a mighty swing of his arm.

"You fool, you believe it is me you should be worried about? Look above, if you value your pitiful life." Looking up, Sora's eyes widened in shock as a figure was glowing menacingly in midair, having apparently taken enough time to charge the next attack.

In the next second, a rather large, glowing fireball came down towards Sora.

"KID, WATCH OUT!" It had all happened in a matter of a second, at most. The ball was fired, as with an unpredictable speed, it came down on contact with Sora, the explosion engulfing the entire rock he had been on.

Jecht could only look, as he struggled to regain balance, using his sword to support his weight. "Not you too, Sora... Damn it..."

"So you still remember my name, gramps?" Came the voice of Sora, as the smoke cleared to reveal Sora crouched on one knee, tightly holding his Keyblade up with both arms.

He had blocked the attack and withstood the explosion.

Jecht looked bewildered at Sora's strength. "I guess I take back what I said earlier. Looks like you got what it takes to be a superstar, packin' both personality AND power!"

"Hehehe, of course, gramps!" Sora then looked up, as he pointed his Keyblade towards the airborne silhouette. "Now, to take care of you!"

"Have you forgotten me?" Came the voice of the armored assailant, as he warped right next to Sora.

Instants before his blade could connect with Sora's neck, however, Jecht rushed in front and blocked it with his left arm, forcing the enemy to stagger due to the force of the impact. In one swift movement, Jecht's right fist connected with the man's gut, and this time, it found its target, the sound of knuckles connecting with metal echoing through the Planet's Core, as the armored man violently collided with the energy walls.

Turning to Sora, Jecht grinned. "I'll take care of tin man over here. You can take care of her." Then he took off, to go fight against their heavy armored enemy.

"Her?" Sora wondered, before looking towards his foe.

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><p><em>BGM: -(KH:BbS) Boss Battle-<em>

* * *

><p>A young girl had landed on another floating chunk of rock, a few meters in front of him. She was a blonde, blue eyed girl, dressed in a blue vest with light blue sleeves over a white leotard, with white boots. Her eyes lacked any sort of emotion whatsoever, as they kept staring into the emptiness of wherever they landed next. Her gaze then turned to Sora, who stood in his battle stance.<p>

"Destroy... Must destroy." She replied out of nowhere, to no one in particular.

"Whoever you are, I'm not holding back!" Sora stood his ground, before launching towards her.

Sora charged with his Keyblade, piercing through an incoming ice shard that was meant to slow him down. In a quick move, even before the multiple ice pieces could touch the floor, Sora jumped with all his might in a spectacular show of ridiculous athleticism and, in a blur, slashed at his foe with his Keyblade with inhuman speed.

"Take this, and that, and more of this!" Combo after combo was landed, slashes aimed left and right, horizontally and vertically. "It's over." In a swift swoop, Sora bashed the blunt side of the Keyblade against the girl's head, forcing her down to the floor, the impact forcing a web of cracks to surge on the floating boulder, in a cloud of dust.

In the next second, before she could regain her focus and lash out a counterattack, Sora hoped back and landed on the nearby floating boulder. He silently watched, positioned for anything that went at him. She weakly got back to her feet, still facing him with that empty stare that filled Sora with a feeling of uneasiness.

"What's wrong with you? Why won't you answer me?" Sora asked, in hopes he could reason with her.

Tough luck, as in the next instant, she launched a barrage of white projectiles that lunged towards Sora at high speed. Not wanting to drop his guard for any reason, he slashed through every white ball of energy thrown at him, before the tip of his Keyblade began gaining a fiery light of its own, the heat it produced distorting the air with ease.

"FIRA!" a gigantic ball of fire, big enough to rival the size of the largest rubble floating around the field, was launched from the Keyblade, in the girl's direction.

Before it hit her, the girl launched a small fire that ran along the ground. Though to Sora's dismay, as soon as it was engulfed by his Fira spell, his ball of fire switched directions and was launched back to him, with twice the speed. Barely having time to react, and with no space to move away, he was devoured by the merciless flames, before they violently exploded in midair.

Jecht, in the midst of his brawl against the armored man, turned to look at the explosion that had shaken their surroundings just now. Blocking another blow from his armored opponent, and sending him off to crash against a nearby floating pillar, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about that explosion just then.

Once the smoke settled, Jecht could only watch, mouth agape, as Sora remained unharmed, a spherical dome of light covering him entirely for a short second before it dissipated, as he remained in the small floating chunk of rock that had managed to remain afterwards. Jecht grinned at the sight.

"Nice going, kid! Keep at it-" Before finishing his speech, however, the ruthless brawler was forced to block an amazingly heavy arc slash from his armored opponent.

The girl followed by shooting a few orbs of light at Sora, who, with insurmountable speed and reflexes, warped behind the incoming orbs and kicked them against the girl, who was hit with them and launched back a few meters. Her breathing was erratic, almost hyperventilating. This fight really was taking a toll on her, and Sora could notice that it was due to the fact that, deep inside, she was most likely holding back, for reasons he didn't know.

* * *

><p><em>End BGM<em>

* * *

><p>Defiant, Sora took another look at the girl that stood in front of him, emotionlessly staring at him, before slowly drifting her attention towards something else. Sighing, Sora put down his Keyblade.<p>

"This is stupid. You don't really wanna fight, do you?" Sora asked, hoping to strike some sense into her.

"Soldier of Cosmos… Enemy…" She said, before launching 5 orbs of light towards Sora.

However, Sora didn't even bother to move, as every single one of those shots flew right past him, not even one grazing him in the least. The girl seemed to be frustrated by this, no doubt, and yet she didn't seem bothered by it. Sure, she lacked any sort of emotion in her expression, but Sora had a gut feeling she was missing on purpose.

"All you've been doing so far is throw magic around. Really, you're making my friend Donald look like Merlin!" Sora said, laughing a bit to himself. _"He'd roast me if he heard me saying this…"_

It almost seemed for a moment as if the girl had attempted to do something similar to smiling, though whatever it had been, it didn't last long enough to even be taken into decent account. Sora jumped down to the floating boulder where the girl was, approaching her calm and collected. The girl, on the other hand, felt nervous and extremely frightened, despite the boy's gentle expression.

"We don't have to fight if you don't want to." That single statement alone caught her off guard. "I mean, you don't even feel as evil as that rusty guard armor that gramps is having fun with." Sora commented, looking behind him at the untimely brawl issued between the armored foe and Jecht, whose grin signified his enjoyment for the fight he was gladly in.

"But… we're enemies… You're for Cosmos, and-"

"OH YEAH, I almost forgot." The girl looked up, surprise and fear in her eyes at the sudden outburst.

But instead of the threatening glare she expected, or the backstabbing blow she stiffened for, she found something else entirely. "My name's Sora, what's yours?" Sora asked, a big smile plastered on his face, clueless to the fact he had just interrupted her.

The girl was shocked by such a question, since she went by many nicknames so far, all of them degrading, as the other Soldiers of Chaos hadn't bothered to ask her what her real name actually was. Hesitantly, she replied.

"T-Terra, but-"

"Okay, look Terra, if you're nervous about us being in different sides, don't worry about it 'cause it's fine. And besides, if you're not happy about where you are, just come with me and my friends to see Cosmos, and we'll get you to switch sides." Sora replied, care and warmth in his voice.

It was exactly that care that seemed to be confusing this girl the most.

"B-But, we were summoned here to fight. I-It's my mission to destroy every soldier of Cosmos. I... I can't go against that." Terra weakly replied.

"Hmm, that doesn't sound right. It can't be that hard to go against those rules." Sora then grabbed her hand without hesitance. "Come on. I'm gonna call Jecht and pick up Kain, and then we can all get outta here."

Before Sora could take a single step forward, the armored monster warped right next to them and took a firm hold of the girl's shoulder.

"I should tell the jester his little puppet needs a stronger incentive, if such insignificant blabbering from a pawn like this one is enough to give her will…" And with those words, they both teleported away, leaving a very puzzled Sora.

"Wha… What just…?"

"Keep your eyes open, big shoes." Jecht told him, as Sora turned around to find him dragging Kain's nearly unconscious body.

Sora rushed over, before helping Jecht lay him down on the floor. Taking a bottle from his backpocket, he let the crystal blue liquid drip from its glass container unto Kain's body. In a short burst of light, the wounds and even the damage that had spread around Kain's armor seemed to have faded away, as if nothing had ever happened to him.

"You were lucky I had a potion with me this whole time, otherwise we dunno' what would've happened to ya'!" Jecht commented, before Kain rubbed the back of his head with a grunt.

"I thank you for it, then." Kain replied, standing up. He then glanced at Sora. "Are you alright?"

"Huh, y-yes, I'm fine. And…" Sora, however, couldn't find the right words to express his gratitude, and at the same time, shame, for it had been due to his recklessness, even after he had been warned multiple times.

He felt like the kid he was back in the beginning of everything… Red shorts, white and black vest, big yellow shoes… The Keyblade, meeting up with Goofy and Donald… Just as carefree and reckless as back then. He should stop to think about things for a moment.

"… Kain, I'm-"

"You don't need to be. Despite your continuous recklessness and my countless warnings, I still remember what it's like to be young, among the few memories that remain in me." Kain said, that last bit stated rather sadly.

"Well, I guess so-"

"But that still doesn't mean you can keep depending on circumstances such as these. Each of us would gladly throw ourselves against the fire if it meant saving a comrade in need, though we can't always be there for such acts." Kain replied, whilst Sora could only nod.

"I know that already, but… I don't know, I… I just…" Before Sora could think of something more to say, he was put in a friendly headlock by Jecht, followed by a noogie.

"And what did I just tell ya' minutes ago? That pathetic broody mood doesn't suit ya' at all, makes you look like a crybaby!" Jecht commented, grinning as Sora tried to release himself out of Jecht's grip in comical anger.

Finally letting Sora go, Jecht smirked before ruffling his hair. "C'mon big shoes, get with the program. Me and Kain here both know you're still thinking about that friend of yours, and whether or not he'll be here, and that's just messing up your game plan."

Sora could only look away, a bit ashamed at how easy he was to read.

"That's no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. It only means your heart is near the right place, but only a bit uncertain of its whereabouts." Kain replied, noticing how Sora had gotten after Jecht's comment.

"That's not it. Usually, I'd be the last person to give up and sulk, but… This is different from anything I've ever faced before. Being summoned here by some Goddess who wipes out other people's memories and tells them to fight against a God as strong as her while having no idea where my friend might be, it's just… It hurts a lot." Sora replied, making his feelings clear.

"Hmm, is that somehow related to the reason why you looked like you wanted to help that girl?" Jecht asked, Kain looking at Sora attentively.

"Well, it's weird, actually... I think she's being controlled by someone else on Chaos's side. She didn't want to fight me, she was just throwing magic at random, and some attacks wouldn't even hit me when I stopped moving." Sora told them, preoccupied.

"Well, manipulating others of their own team doesn't sound that farfetched, considering the kind of rotten aura that comes from their side of the continent. The most wretched group of monsters is now our enemy." Kain replied, agreeing with Sora's theory. "Wouldn't be surprised at all with that…"

"And the whole thing about her being controlled by someone else… It's affecting you a bit more than it should, right?" Jecht asked, although he already knew the answer.

Sora nodded, looking the other way as he resumed explaining. "Riku was once controlled by someone just like that. He got lost in the Darkness in order to protect our other friend, Kairi, and this evil guy took advantage of that. Riku's heart was almost devoured by its own Darkness, but he still managed to pull through."

A shiver ran down Kain's spine, a few sets of memories suddenly drowning his mind with bits and pieces, though even this little could prove to awake him to his painful past. _"Apparently, I can relate to that, as well…"_

"And even if she's in Chaos's side, I'm still really worried about her. She seemed like a nice person. How can someone like her have ended up in such a bad place?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Heh, even going to the extents of worrying about an enemy… You really do have the potential of a superstar in the making. But don't worry about it. If it's bothering you so much, later on we can try to go find her or something. That piece of metal's words made it seem like she'll definitely be back, anyways." Jecht stated, almost instantly cheering Sora up, who began smiling to a point where it seemed like his cheeks would rip apart.

Chuckling, Jecht then turned his back, picked up his sword and began to walk away, along with Sora and Kain. "And besides, I'm pretty sure your friend Riku won't wind up like her. If he's anywhere as good as you are, I doubt he'll let himself go down without trying."

Grinning, Sora replied. "Yeah, he definitely won't. He's got a heart too strong for that."

As both of them laughed along, Kain closely followed them, wondering to himself. _"Even the strongest of hearts eventually succumbs. You should prepare yourself for the worst, Sora."_

"I'll jump up there and touch the crest. Soon enough, this world we're in will begin to fade, so ready yourselves." He turned away and prepared to jump to the highest chunk in the Planet's Core, where the Chaos emblem resided. "It might be a tough ride."

Suddenly, the place where they had once stood began to fade in circles, bits and pieces of chucks and green aura in their surroundings dislodging from where they once were and dematerializing, like the broken shards of a mirror. Suddenly, in a flash of light and sudden blackout, they were gone.

* * *

><p>"Is everyone alright?" Kain asked, analyzing their surroundings to make sure there were no imminent threats.<p>

The red portal behind them had shattered into multiple pieces that quickly vanished into thin air, though Kain and Jecht had heard from one of the knight's earlier trips to one of these gateways that, after a few hours, the portals would reappear once more, but this idea wasn't as clear back then as it was now. The closure of a gateway was, therefore, only temporary and achieved only with the purpose of allowing quicker passage from one area to the other of the continent to any lucky comrade of theirs.

"Yeah, a few migraines here and there, but I've had worse hangovers... I think." Jecht replied, rubbing his head.

"Everything began spinning, and circling, and then it faded. What was that all about?" Sora asked, curious.

"We have yet to fully understand how these gateways function, and why they are here in the first place." Kain explained, his arms crossed in contemplation.

"They just make the journey feel a whole lot longer, if you ask me…" Sora said. _"It's times like these I wish we had a Gummi Ship."_

"Well, whatever it is…" Jecht then began walking away, not bothering to signal Sora and Kain to follow him. "… It's not something worth racking your brains about right now."

The two of them turned and watched as Jecht made his leave.

"Where are you going, gramps?" Sora asked, shocked to see their comrade, a quick friend to him, start walking away from them almost without saying a word of warning.

"I did say that was my last potion, right? I might as well go take another look around, see who else I spot." He then chuckled, before he slightly turned his head and smiled. "When you're done, we're supposed to regroup near the Sanctuary. Try not to be late this time around, big shoes."

"Ah, shut up gramps!" Sora replied, fuming at Jecht's continuous taunts, though his smile still remained.

Sighing, Kain began walking away as well, with Sora following a few seconds after, attempting to catch up to him. "Hey, at least warn me when you decide it's time to go."

Kain chuckled at Sora's remark, before replying with slight mirth. "So, unable to pick up my pace?"

"Hehehe, I could pick up your pace any day of the week, Kain… But why take this route?" Sora asked, walking alongside Kain now.

"Jecht headed south, so it assures me that he can at the very least cover as much ground there as possible, taking into account he most likely won't be the only one around those parts. Which, in turn, only leaves us to explore the fields west of here." Kain answered. "He probably planned this as well, as it is common sense that there's little chance a large group of ours would come scout an area as small as this we're taking."

"I see… So, huh, how long until we spot another one of those gateway doors?" Sora asked, not really having bothered to make sense of everything Kain told him just now, this probable long walk with the silent Dragoon draining away all of his enthusiasm.

"Hmm, a bit, actually. At this pace, about three to four hours, maybe a bit more." Kain replied.

Sighing, Sora laid his hands on the back of his head and joined in Kain's route. This would indeed be a long walk.

"_Beyond the Continent, huh? How twisted, to offer such poetic names to the tools of such a sadistic world…"_ Kain thought to himself, with disdain. "Let us hope this gateway won't bring about more hostility."

* * *

><p>"Well then, here we are." He took a quick glance at Sora. "Are you prepared?"<p>

They were now in the open fields, scenery which extended into several dozens of kilometers worth of pure grass, a few trees and complimented with the warm rays of sunlight bathing it all. They were, however, surrounded by a mass of mountains that seemed to enclose them all around, the rock structures that served like the walls of a fortress eventually meeting their ends another few kilometers behind the gateway.

"Oh yeah, bring it on!" Sora proclaimed, as both of them crossed the accursed scarlet portal.

* * *

><p>Once inside, both of them found themselves in a wide canyon. Large formations of rock and several mountains bared across a night sky adorned with glowing stars. As Sora, with eyes as large as the most curious child, and filled with the same sort of joy, took in the full view of the place they were in, he caught up with several curious details, such as a blue planet in the starry sky, a particular building-like structure that seemed to be made of a crystal and something that Sora could've sworn looked like a gigantic Gummi Ship.<p>

This place they were in was named the Lunar Surface.

The view was absolutely astounding, or as Sora would've put it, awesome.

"This is so cool!" Sora commented, looking around and even tapping a few boulders and small rock formations here and there.

"Ugh… This place…" Kain said to himself, as he remained still, as if frozen in time.

"Huh? Hey Kain, what's the matter?" Sora asked, approaching him. "Do you know this place or something?"

"It's… It's nothing." Kain replied, before regaining his composure. "Let us scout this area, hopefully we'll find it to be peaceful."

"Okay then. Should we split up?" Sora asked.

"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea if we don't stray too far away from each other." Kain stated, before crouching slightly. "Is 30 minutes enough for you, Sora?"

Sora grinned. "More than enough!"

"Very well. Meet me back here afterwards." In the next second, he jumped high onto the top of one of the smaller mountains, leaving Sora to himself.

"Oh well, let's see what's around here." Sora said to himself, before wandering off.

* * *

><p>Despite having seen the same rock formations, a few fissures and cliffs here and there and the occasional mountains that seemed to touch the sky, Sora was still fascinated by it all. Having done an admittedly barely decent job at scouting (mostly sightseeing), he was now ready to head back to their meeting point.<p>

"I think it's been 15 minutes by now. I should be heading back." Sora stated, as he walked back.

However, once he turned right on a nearby boulder that was blocking the path, he spotted someone else. He hadn't seen this person before, either.

It was a boy, none the less, probably around the same age as him, if not only two or three years older than him. He was shirtless, had red bandages on his arms and wore a gauntlet on his left arm. He also seemed to be holding on to a peculiar ball, white with thick, blue linings.

Curious, and accompanied with a strong feeling of familiarity, Sora cautiously attempted to approach the boy.

"Hey, who are-"

This seemed to have startled the boy, as he quickly turned around and kicked the ball towards Sora. Staying truer to the meaning of "think fast" than anyone has ever stayed, Sora was quick to catch the ball in his hands, inches from his face, using all of his strength. However, he was still pushed back a few good feet.

"Whoa, what's wrong with you? Can't you see I'm not…" As soon as Sora took a look at who it was that had performed such a deed, he went speechless.

Sure, he looked a lot older than the last time they were together, but he looked too much alike for Sora to be wrong about this. Plus the ball he had just kicked, the resemblances were too much. This boy had lived with Sora and everybody else back in Destiny Islands, before his world had been destroyed by the Heartless. This boy was…

"Tidus!" Sora exclaimed, his mouth wide open in sheer surprise, a mixture of several emotions filling him up.

Raising an eyebrow, this boy supposedly named Tidus looked just as surprised as Sora did. "Sorry, but… Have we met before?"

This struck Sora like a dagger through his heart. How could Tidus have forgotten about him? Sure, they had grown older, and it had been a few years but still, they had been best friends back on Destiny Islands. Him, Wakka, Selphie, Kairi, Riku… And plus, if Sora could recognize him so quickly, how come Tidus couldn't?

"How can you say that? You and I were friends back on Destiny Islands!" Sora replied, before kicking the ball back to Tidus, who caught it with his left hand. "IT'S ME, SORA!"

"Sora… Destiny Islands, huh?" Tidus questioned, before pondering for a bit. "Sorry, doesn't ring a bell. Not like anything else does, anyways."

"What do you mean, doesn't ring a bell? How could you have forgotten about…" Sora suddenly went silent for a second, before remembering Jecht's words back when they were at the Sanctuary.

"_Losing your memory seems like a pretty huge deal for the rest of us, and most likely for the other chumps on Chaos's team."_

"W-Wait a second…"

"Look huh, Sora, I'm sorry about attacking you just now, you kinda scared me…" Tidus said, scratching the back of his head. "No offense, but I gotta-"

"You can't remember anything, can't you?" Sora asked, a serious expression dominating his facial features.

Tidus expression became a bit enraged, though he seemed to be controlling himself. The direct mentioning of his memory loss after being summoned here was enough to tick him off, despite his best efforts at controlling himself.

"Yes Sora, that's right. I can't remember much, and I'd be happy enough if you didn't mention it like that! It's already hard enough as it is without you butting in." Tidus proclaimed, as Sora winced at those words.

"I'm sorry Tidus, I didn't mean-"

"And also, stop acting like we've been friends all this time. I can't remember you, and that's that. To me, it's like you never existed 'till now. Got it?" Tidus said, before starting to walk away.

Sora's head had lowered, his eyes shut tight as he prayed for no tears to drop. With shoulders slumped, he listened closely to his friend's footsteps slowly and silently coming up to him. As soon as Tidus passed by his side, all of a sudden Sora shot out and grabbed his gauntlet-covered arm. Stiffening and instantly pulling away, but to no avail, Tidus gritted his teeth in protest.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Let go of me!" Tidus shouted.

However, his expression shifted to one of slight surprise that threatened to overthrow the anger in him as soon as he saw Sora's expression. The thing was, he had expected to see fury or even sadness in Sora's face, he had even expected a punch or two out of the brown-haired "friend" he'd forgotten about, apparently, reason why he had flinched for a few instants.

But instead, all he found was an honest smile plastered to Sora's face.

"I'm not gonna give up that easily on you. You might've forgotten about me, but as long as I still remember you and what we were, our friendship will never be reduced to nothing." Sora stated, as he felt Tidus slowly relaxing underneath the hold he had on his arm. "I will help you regain those memories of yours, and you'll see that our friendship was real. I can almost bet your heart can't deny it, either."

Tidus looked away for a moment, before sighing, as Sora released the hold he had on his arm. Sora could've sworn that just now a smile had managed to surface in his newly gained depressed demeanor.

"Sora… This whole deal about getting back my memories… That's a story of my own." Tidus stated, before turning his back on him. "I don't need your help, but… I guess it won't hurt to thank you… Thanks for not forgetting about me… Sora."

And with that, and without saying another word, Tidus walked away towards the horizon in Sora's eyes. He had stayed there, his back against the wall until all he could see from Tidus, or thought he could see was nothing but a small dark dot in the horizon, moving at a steady pace.

"Was that Riku?" Came a voice from Sora's side.

Not expecting someone else to be there beside him, Sora jumped up in shock and fell to the floor, landing on his butt. Even for someone like Kain, who was usually the quiet and pondering kind of man, he had to struggle internally not to laugh at Sora's predicament.

"Ugh, geez Kain, no need to scare me. And no, that was Tidus." Sora replied, as he got and smiled softly towards the direction Tidus had taken. "Like Riku, he was an old friend from my world. I hope he catches up with the others."

"Hmph, Sora… He's not for Cosmos." Kain stated, before Sora turned to him.

"He's not? What do you mean, he's not for Cosmos? He was-"

"When we were summoned to this world, we woke up from our slumber more or less at the same time and managed to introduce ourselves to everyone, to make sure we knew who our allies were." Kain explained. "You were the only one who arrived afterwards."

"And how do you know he didn't come after me or when you weren't there? We've been away for a few hours, maybe he's just confused cause he found no one there."

"Hmm, so you can't feel it just yet…" Kain wondered to himself. "Or maybe it's the connection you have with him that blinds you so effectively."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sora asked, but Kain began walking once more.

"Let us go. You might just be right about that, Sora. Besides this one, there's one more gateway up ahead before we can reach Sanctuary. Let us haste!" Kain stated, as he motioned for Sora to follow him, as he lead them towards the gateway's respective Chaos crest.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, a man dressed in gold and purple armor, with several colored spikes and a purple cape that draped along with his long, blonde hair. A crown with a snake head emerging from it sat on his head, and with a scepter grasped in his left hand, he sat upon an edged salience of one of the largest mountains in the Lunar Surface.

"Now this is a rather interesting turn of events. The boy might prove to be useful for the righteous fruition of my plans." Watching Tidus carelessly walk away in the distance, he grinned. "Indeed, he will need my utmost guidance to set his goal straight. How wasteful, to let such a young, battle-thirsty soul such as him run amok."

In an instant, he faded to another location, presumably to where Tidus remained in the moment.

* * *

><p>"Still haven't figured out if you're trying to be thoughtful or just run the show, but…" Came Jecht's voice, as he approached Lightning.<p>

They were now regrouping near the lake that surrounded the Sanctuary, just as they had promised several hours ago. The scouting had been long and the fights incredibly arduous, but they had succeeded in driving the enemy hordes away, for now. In the distance, from the other side of the Sanctuary came Kain and Sora, who approached the two of them, Sora a bit more hesitantly.

"… Guess that's just how you are." Jecht finished.

"Jecht. Kain. Sora." She addressed the three of them, relief noticeable even in her possibly unintentional harsh tone of voice. "Guess you're alright, then."

"Yeah, well, we ran into a few creeps but like I said, we gave them a reason to never come back." Sora said, grinning as if he'd forgotten the tension he had gone through the first time he interacted with Lightning.

Lightning shook her head, though a miniscule smile secretly formed on her lips, only for herself to know it was there.

"Learn anything?" Kain asked, before noticing Sora walk away all of a sudden.

"Sorry guys, but I still haven't talked to that other guy. I think I saw him going this way. I'll catch up with you guys later! Hahaha!" And thus, without a moment to waste, Sora ran off to wherever the Warrior of Light had gone to.

"Poor kid, he's in for a world of boredom." Commented Jecht, laughing.

"That guy's whole righteous act still doesn't sit right." Lightning commented. "But huh… He does have the skill to back up his talk."

"So your impression has… turned favorable?" Kain asked.

"Hmm. Wouldn't go that far. He's not the kind of person I can see myself liking" Lightning replied, as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "But at least I got to see what his capable of, and you guys too."

Turning from Jecht to Kain, she closed her eyes before proceeding.

"So, for your suggestion… You have my thanks."

"Hmm, all I did was follow and support an idea that grew from Sora's good will and optimism. He's the one you should be thanking." Kain stated, smirking at Lightning's resignation.

"Him… And what of his skills? Despite seeing you two here, having survived through your skills, what about that kid? Is he as much a dead weight as his looks make him seem like?" Lightning asked, her words matching the harshness and directness of her voice and being.

"Heh, you couldn't be any more wrong. That kid, you ask?" Jecht stated. "He's got amazing potential inside of him, and even though he's still on about that friend he's looking for, he has already made up his mind to change our situation!"

"_Reminds me of another brat I once knew…"_ Jecht thought, smirking at this.

"Indeed, the boy's strength and will power are amazingly unwavering, as if he had once experienced the weight of the world on his shoulders. It is quite rare to find others like him." Kain commented as well, further supporting Jecht's evaluation of Sora.

"I see… Well, I still need to see it with my own two eyes, in his case. That guy… I don't know why, but I get the feeling I once knew someone like him… And I can't help but feel…" She clearly intended to finish her sentence with the word "worried", although her pride would not allow it.

It's not as if Kain and Jecht needed to hear it, though. Deep down, they already knew, as the three of them watched Sora in a distance comically looking around in search of the shining knight, Lightning shaking her head in disbelief, Kain chuckling and Jecht laughing his heart out.

* * *

><p>"So he came, huh?" Came the voice of one of the two Warriors of Chaos, who stood in an airship, inside a division with a view to the skies behind a large, incredibly thick glass.<p>

The division had been structured to look like a set of a theatre play, most notably, the set was designed as the entrance to a castle.

The first voice had from a blonde, spiky haired man with deep blue eyes, dressed in a black shirt, a pauldron and gauntlets with small blue and white details, and belt with those same details and a peculiar symbol. He had a small white pack slung over his back that moved ever so slightly with each of his steps, sounds produced by his white boots touching the wooden floor beneath him.

"I told you he would. Even if I kind of wish he didn't…" Came the voice of the Warrior.

This Warrior was a younger boy, dressed in a black zip-up tank-top and a white and yellow vest over it, with baggy blue denim jeans held up by a black belt covered with square spike studs, and with a simple pair of sneakers. Lightly tapping the white band on his left wrist, he directed his attention from the beautiful skies to the blonde that had moved near him, standing by his side.

"I can relate to that…" Told the blonde.

"Well Cloud, it doesn't really matter anymore. Our job now is to protect our friends on the other side." Stated the silver haired boy to the other man, known as Cloud.

"I don't know, Riku. It doesn't sound as simple as that." Cloud told him, his attention set entirely on the skies ahead of them.

"Don't worry, wise guy. You just leave the knowing to me, okay?" Riku said, smiling as Cloud could only smirk. "I'm actually surprised this time around. Sora never did have the brightest of friends, you know… He's still lucky to have found new ones as light-hearted as the others!"

"Hmph, I guess so. But be prepared. At some point, you'll have to fight him. It's either that, or watch someone else strike him down." Cloud turned and began to walk away. "Don't count on his strength and luck forever, Riku."

Sighing, Riku turned to Cloud before grinning. "Speaking of strength and luck, how about a sparring session?"

"Not interested." Came the reply of Cloud, having left the division a second later.

Chuckling, Riku turned his attention towards the skies once more, the same ones that harbored the meaning behind his friend's name. Sora.

"Sora wouldn't have wasted a second agreeing to spar with me." Riku whispered to himself, before he closed his eyes, his expression turning serious all of a sudden.

"_Prepare yourself, Sora. Now that you're here, nothing is as it seems… But believe in yourself and your friends, no matter what, and the Darkness will not reach you…"_

Under the clouds, he spotted an ocean far below, before chuckling.

"At least the waves still sound the same."

* * *

><p>And we're done. Believe it or not, it took me months to get this prologue right. Normally, yes, prologues are rather short, but this fic will be a bit more complex than most, so please excuse me.<p>

Next chapter, I might post up a few extras here and there, and keep track of several BGMs. Anyways, would appreciate if you dropped your opinion and criticism on it, it is always useful. If supported, we'll meet each other once more in the next chapter.


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